第四届学生年度编辑大赛亚军文章

“America First”
Safa Saleh, age 17

I am a refugee. Although, I was not fully aware of what this meant at age 7, there are no words to describe the feelings that flooded over me when my family landed at Miami International Airport, when I realized that we were here to stay. The process of being accepted as a refugee into the United States is a nightmare. It took us 10 months of exhausting interviews, paperwork and medical tests. After fleeing Baghdad, and spending a year as illegal refugees in Jordan, that moment meant everything. It breaks my heart that in 2017, there are some trying to steal this moment from countless individuals whose promise of a new life will be broken — families no different from mine, who deserve a second chance but who won’t get one. President Trump’s executive order on immigration is not merely illegal and unconstitutional, but also heartless and discriminatory.

Under the newest draft of President Trump’s executive order that is meant to “protect the nation from foreign terrorist entry,” citizens from the affected countries — Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya — will be subjected to a 90-day ban on travel to the United States. It should be noted that while Mr. Trump’s ban covers these countries, which have produced exactly zero people linked to terrorist attacks that have killed Americans since 1975 to 2015, the ban does not cover countries like Turkey, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with which the Trump family has business interests and whose citizens have been linked to terrorist attacks that have killed Americans. In addition to that, terrorism by Muslims as opposed to American Christian lone gunmen accounts for just one third of 1 percent of all murders in the United States.

But let’s take a step back from the politics of it all. Children may die, families will be separated. These are the world’s most vulnerable that we are turning our backs on. What about the tired, poor and huddled masses yearning to breathe free? A few weeks ago when returning to the United States from Dubai, my family was selected for a “random security check.” This one was more thorough than ever. I had to hold back tears as everyone in line passed while they were dissecting my bag like I was some sort of criminal. My crime? The American passport that I carry says that I was born in Iraq. My father asked the man why the security check was taking so much longer than usual. The man replied simply with “America first,” but how do you put America first when you are destroying the very values it was founded upon?

Works Cited

Board, The Editorial. “Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban Is Cowardly and Dangerous.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Jan. 2017. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.

“Executive Order: Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States.” The White House. The United States Government, 23 Feb. 2017. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.

Salama, Matthew Lee Vivian. “Donald Trump’s ‘Muslim Ban’ to Be Re-introduced with Iraq Removed from List of Countries.” The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 01 Mar. 2017. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.

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“America? More Like Ameri-Can’t Vote”
Gianni Carcagno, age 17

There are over four million people living in the five permanently inhabited island territories of the United States. The residents of these territories — Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa and Puerto Rico — are Americans who follow the Constitution, serve in the U.S. military and vote in presidential primaries. However, unless citizens establish an official residency in a U.S. state (and vote by absentee ballot or travel to their state to vote), they cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections or receive any substantial representation at a national level. It is time for the U.S. to stop infantilizing its territories and to grant them voting and other rights equal to the mainland states.

The Supreme Court decision that denied equal rights to the territories was made over 100 years ago. Not only was the verdict intended to be temporary, but it was also made by the same justice who approved the “separate but equal” doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson. The ruling denies territories rights outlined in constitutional amendments because the territories are “inhabited by alien races” unable to understand “Anglo-Saxon principles.” This blatantly discriminatory decision is still used today against U.S. territory citizens fighting for equal rights.

Inequality for the territories is also prevalent in Congress and bureaucracy. All U.S. territories elect representation into the House of Representatives; however, their Congressmen have no voting power on legislation. Guam and American Samoa specifically receive unfair treatment from the government despite their overwhelming large military enrollment. One-eighth of Guam’s population is enrolled in the U.S. military and American Samoa has “the highest rate of military enlistment in the U.S.,” yet citizens in both territories do not vote for their commander-in-chief, have adequate representation in Congress, or receive equal veteran benefits to mainland citizens.

It is even more difficult to acquire the right to vote in American Samoa because American Samoans, unlike other territory residents, are not born U.S. citizens. They are instead called “nationals” to accommodate their “cultural distinctiveness.” In order to vote, American Samoans must move to a U.S. state and become naturalized as if they were immigrating from another country. This process costs “almost $700” and includes tests in English, U.S. history and civics. The naturalization process is comparable to poll taxes and literacy tests — forms of voting discrimination outlawed by the 24th Amendment — and further highlights unjustifiable bias of the U.S. government against its territories, simply because of cultural differences.

It is time for the U.S. to acknowledge its disrespectful and isolating treatment of its territories and give their neglected citizens the rights they deserve.

Works Cited

Murriel, Maria. “Millions of Americans Can’t Vote for President Because of Where They Live.” PRI’s The World, 1 November 2016.

Ponsa, Christina Duffy. “Are American Samoans American?” The New York Times, 8 June 2016.

Savage, David G. “Supreme Court Rejects Citizenship for American Samoans.” Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2016.

“U.S. Territories: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO).” YouTube, uploaded by LastWeekTonight, 8 March 2015.

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“Climate Literacy: A Critical Step Toward Climate Stability”
Ella Shriner, age 14, and Hannah Witscher, age 15

Climate change is a threat to every young person on our planet. It is vital that schools teach about the climate-caused tragedies that are occurring globally and how to combat climate injustice. Fortunately, some school districts are taking steps to ensure that this is done. In 2016 the Portland, Ore., school board unanimously passed a resolution supporting the teaching of climate justice.

In the New York Times article, “Setbacks Aside, Climate Change is Finding its Way into the World’s Classroom,” Alexander Leicht of Unesco states “[to slow climate change] we need an overall change of mind and a change of action that relates to everything that we think and do.” Education can provide this essential change in perspective that will ultimately help the generations to come.

However, actions like Portland’s are still relatively rare. There are too many cases of state legislatures, school districts and teachers actively denying the fact that climate change is real, or bowing to pressure from community members and corporations who value short-term profits over long-term climate stability.

Even when teachers and school districts want to teach the facts about climate change, many classroom resources discount the science behind climate change. Holt McDougal’s textbook, “Modern World History,” published in 2010, includes misleading statements questioning the legitimacy of the climate crisis such as, “not all scientists agree with the theory of the greenhouse effect.” This statement falsely leads students to believe that there is not a wide scientific consensus about climate change.

Fossil fuel industry funding of curriculums also poses a huge obstacle to eliminating misinformation about climate change. Energy corporations are paying for materials to be developed that promote fossil fuel usage and production. In the Washington Post article, “Energy Industry Shapes Lessons in Public Schools,” Kevin Sieff writes, “The industry aims to teach students about its contributions to local economies and counter criticism from environmental groups.” These resources are often biased and factually incorrect.

Actions like Portland’s demonstrate that schools can address climate change in the classroom. It is essential that cities around the nation follow their lead because we, as the future generation, deserve to know what we are facing and what we can do to fix this crisis that we did not create.

As Portland student Gaby Lemieux says, “Climate education is not a niche or a specialization, it is the minimum requirement for my generation to be successful in our changing world.”

Works Cited

Gardiner, Beth. “Setbacks Aside, Climate Change Is Finding Its Way Into the World’s Classrooms.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Apr. 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.

Moore, Shasta Kearns. “Portland School Board Bans Climate Change-Denying Materials.” Portland Tribune. N.p., 19 May 2016. Web. 2 Apr. 2017.

Sieff, Kevin. “Energy Industry Shapes Lessons in Public Schools.” The Washington Post. WP Company, 02 June 2011. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.

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“Cultural Appropriation: A Measure of Empathy”
James Chang, age 16

At the opening of the Whitney Museum Biennial last month, a small protest began to gather in front of a painting by white, American-born artist Dana Schutz that depicted the open-casket funeral of 14-year-old Emmett Till. Within days, dozens of demonstrators showed up to block the painting from view, and over 25 black artists signed an open letter to the Whitney’s curators demanding that the painting be destroyed due to its cultural appropriation of black suffering for “profit and fun.”

Cultural appropriation is the adoption of elements of one culture by members of another culture. What makes the protests at the Whitney Museum so frustratingly sad isn’t just the call for a museum to destroy a piece of artwork. Instead it is the objection that a white artist has no right to paint a subject like a lynching victim that entirely misses the point. What these critics — the same people who would protest against the routine stop and frisking of innocent black people, the vulgar accusations made by President Trump caricaturing Mexican immigrants, and the harassment of Muslim-American families — fail to realize is that “cultural appropriation” can actually be used to heighten empathy and stop these injustices.

The truth is that people, even the most sympathetic ones, tend to view victims from disparate racial groups as separate from themselves. Again and again, politicians, reporters and television broadcasters reflect this trend. “No one wants any child to be kidnapped,” writes journalist Conor Friedersdorf, “but the little blond girl leads the local news; her black analog might not make the newscast... [Dana Schutz] was trying to bridge the gulf between ‘us’ and ‘them.’”

Slavery and white supremacy are very real parts of American history, and white people ought to confront them no less than black people. To label such efforts as “cultural appropriation” lends credibility to the sort of racial rigidity that fuels racism in the first place. So while Dana Schutz is white and Emmett Till is black, the emphasis on racial essentialism here feels ludicrously, infuriatingly off topic. Sometimes a woman rendering painful moments in black history has nothing to do with whether she herself is white or black, but rather with the exposure of human pain. Combating racism must not only rely on racial equity in legislation, but also must allow for the full participation of every ethnic group, nationality and race.

Ms. Schutz’s painting itself is abstract and haunting — the ambiguous brush strokes across Till’s face form a profoundly disquieting image. But this is to be expected of any painting that reopens the wounds of American racism. Call it whatever you will, but what Ms. Schutz’s painting does is powerful and evokes emotion in the viewer. Sorrow. Anger. Loss. Some might even say empathy.

Works Cited

Friedersdorf, Conor. “What Does ‘Cultural Appropriation’ Actually Mean?” The Atlantic. 3 Apr. 2017.

Fury, Alexander. “Marc Jacobs and the Appropriateness of Appropriation.” The New York Times. 21 Sept. 2016.

Sehgal, Parul. “Is Cultural Appropriation Always Wrong?” The New York Times. 29 Sept. 2015.

Shamsie, Kamila. “The Storytellers of Empire.” Guernica Magazine. 1 Feb. 2012.

Tomkins, Calvin. “Why Dana Schutz Painted Emmett Till.” The New Yorker. 10 Apr. 2017.

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“Discourse Is Democracy: Allowing Uncensored Speech on College Campuses”
Abigail Hogan, age 17

Christine Lagarde. Charles Murray. Condoleezza Rice. What do the director of the IMF, the conservative political scientist, and the 66th secretary of state have in common? All three have been prevented from speaking on college campuses due to student protests.

Campaigns by college students to block speakers from campus events have markedly increased in recent years. According to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, there have been 338 attempts by college students to prevent public figures from speaking at campus events since 2000. The annual number of “disinvitation events” has increased since 2011, with 2016 reaching a record high of 42 campaigns.

The protests themselves are not the problem. Throughout history, protests have been the catalyst for political progress, from Gandhi’s salt march to the American Civil Rights movement. Instead, it is the motivation behind these college protests that provides a disservice to the students of today. Often, the reason for campaigns against speakers is the disparity between the politics or actions of the proposed speaker and the views of the student protesters. Many students hold that the beliefs of proposed speakers are so damaging that they should not be given a platform.

The solution to a difference of opinion is not a violent refusal to listen. Discourse is necessary.

By listening to and engaging with political opponents, students can strengthen their understanding of political issues and both sides can evolve their views.

In an increasingly polarized political climate, an understanding of opposing viewpoints is crucial to developing and strengthening one’s own ideology. By listening to speakers with different political views, students are afforded the unique opportunity to learn about contrary beliefs and their underlying reasoning. In turn, this understanding allows students to refine their positions and, therefore, to more effectively advocate for them.

Vigorous and open debate also allows both sides the opportunity to engage in ideological development. One purpose of college is the ability to grow and change before venturing into the real world. Listening to a speaker with whom you already wholeheartedly agree is a merely a visit to the echo chamber. Exposure to new viewpoints may actually change the beliefs of students. Conversely, students who confront the speaker with informed questions and arguments may challenge the position of the speaker or sway other undecided listeners.

Thus, for the benefit of students and the future of political discourse, the practice of blocking speakers on college campuses must stop. College students should continue to protest, but should also listen and demand respectful dialogue with speakers, no matter their politics. If we fail to listen, if we turn our backs on the opposition instead of arguing and engaging, then we have already lost.

Works Cited

“Disinvitation Attempts.” Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

Fitzsimmons, Emma G. “Condoleezza Rice Backs Out of Rutgers Speech After Student Protests.” The New York Times, 3 May 2014.

Pérez-Peña, Richard. “After Protests, I.M.F. Chief Withdraws as Smith College’s Commencement Speaker.” The New York Times, 12 May 2014.

Seelye, Katharine Q. “Protesters Disrupt Speech by ‘Bell Curve’ Author at Vermont College.” The New York Times, 3 Mar. 2017.

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“Drone Warfare: The Failing Fight Against the Modern Hydra”
Michael Levinger, age 16

As his second labor, Hercules was tasked to conquer the Hydra. The hero quickly realized what made the nine-headed beast so deadly. After decapitating one head, two more took its place. However, if he cauterized the wounds, the heads would not spawn, allowing Hercules to defeat this relentless foe. The moral is brute force may not be the sole solution. Three thousand years later, we do not fight sea monsters and impervious lions, but we need Hercules’s lesson more than ever. For the past 16 years our nation has been at a never-ending war with a similarly regenerating enemy: international terrorism.

Former President Obama criticized his predecessor’s strategy for creating more terrorists than it killed, but his own pivot from conventional warfare to drone strikes was not the ideal solution either.

President Trump appears to be embracing Obama’s myopic tactics. On January 21 and 22, the United States conducted drone strikes in the Yemeni province of Bayda that claimed the lives of 75 people. Though such drone strikes successfully kill insurgents, new radicals always seem to spring up in their place. Could this new technology be moving us toward perpetual war rather than peace?

Retired Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, once responsible for the Joint Special Operations Command, says yes. During a Reuters interview, he argues that drones strengthen the “perception of American arrogance that says, ‘Well we can fly where we want, we can shoot where we want, because we can.’” Although these strikes eliminate enemies, General McChrystal stresses that radical groups use perceived American imperiousness to bolster their numbers faster than we kill them.

Proponents claim this technological advantage enables us to remotely kill key targets like the Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour. However, these weapons’ short term gains cause more havoc than sustained peace. Just days after terminating Mullah Mansour, an “even more ruthless and radical leader” filled his position.

The attack that killed Mullah Mansour also incinerated an innocent taxi driver name Mohammad Azam. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism states this humble cabdriver joined “between 256 and 633 civilians” who perished in United States’ drone strikes between January 2009 and December 2015. Our feigned progress leads us to ignore the innocent people who have been trampled and shallowly regarded as collateral damage. Our acceptance of these unintended deaths generate resentment, hatred and destabilization, creating a prime environment for spawning new radicals.

The modern Hydra is more complex than its ancient Greek counterpart. However, its heads will continue to sprout even though our weapon is a Hellfire missile rather than Hercules’s club. We must discover how to seal the wounds rather than just inflict them, or our problems will grow exponentially.

Works Cited

Alexander, David. “Retired General Cautions against Overuse of “hated” Drones.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 07 Jan. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.

Feroz, Emran. “The Taxi Driver’s Last Ride.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Sept. 2016. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.

“Hercules’ Second Labor: The Lernean Hydra.” Hercules’ Second Labor: The Lernean Hydra. Tufts, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2017

Worth, Robert F., Mark Mazzetti, and Scott Shane. “Drone Strikes’ Risks to Get Rare Moment in the Public Eye.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 05 Feb. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.

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“Generation Code Red”
Grace Scullion, age 16

One day after school, I ran into the kitchen and saw the breaking news crack my sturdy mother. Her skin turned paler with each name listed on the television. This time it was a group of first graders from a sandy hook. Standing in the kitchen with my backpack by my feet, I could not escape the visions of carnage.

In school, we practice Code Red. We pile furniture against classroom doors and sit silently, holding our breath until reminded that it is just a drill. Wariness follows me home from school, its tentacles twisting my head.

When I pick up my phone, there are notifications reading, “At least 50 dead after nightclub shooting in Orlando, officials report” next to Snapchat notifications. I can list Adam Lanza, Dylann Roof, Omar Mateen, Robert Dear and Chris Harper Mercer, just as quickly as I can list the names of my best friends

I notice that when the bullets hit the kids, our civilized side flares. But we build the excuses back up, brick by brick, into cities and laws and Second Amendments. I am mad because 16-year-olds are supposed to be angry with their parents and society and not having a date to the prom, but instead I have to be angry with lawmakers and the N.R.A. and an entire country that lets holsters and bazookas pull its puppet strings. I can fire off facts faster than an AR-15 rifle: last year, there were 358 shootings in the U.S. in which four or more people were injured or killed. 306 Americans are shot every day. 48 of those are children or teenagers.

It does not have to be this way. Take Australia. After a shooting in 1996 left 35 civilians dead, extensive gun control legislature was passed. These new laws included required licenses, safety training courses and an assault weapons ban. In the twenty years since the legislature was passed, there have been no mass shootings in Australia. This is sensible action. This is making sure guns do not end up in the wrong hands.

Dear lawmakers: I challenge you to think about the American people. Think about the 306 Americans who will feel bullets tearing into their skin tomorrow. Think about the American students holding their breath in the corners of dark classrooms.

Works Cited

Kauffman, Gretel. “Why Australia Isn’t a Model for US Gun Control.” The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 23 June 2016. Web. 4 Apr. 2017.

“Key Gun Violence Statistics.” Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.

Quealy, Kevin, and Margot Sanger-Katz. “Compare These Gun Death Rates: The U.S. Is in a Different World.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 June 2016. Web. 4 Apr. 2017.

“Humane Human Zoo?”
Ella Ward, age 15

“Swan Lake” begins, the classic story of Princess Odette falling under the spell of the wicked sorcerer Von Rothbart, but in this performance none of the dancers are above 51 inches. In the Kingdom of the Little People theme park just outside Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, that’s the norm. The park creates a safe space for little people in China, but still sources such as the L.P.A., Little People of America, believe the park is mocking dwarfism and isolating the handicapped community. The Kingdom of the Little People theme park should be kept running, because it gives little people a stable job and a safe space to be themselves.

Little people in China have an extremely hard time finding work, but at the Kingdom of the Little People they have many job opportunities. According to the South China Morning Press, “dwarves earn average pay packets of 1,500 yuan, equivalent to that of local college graduates.” Though most dwarfs in China live in poverty, often times forced to beg on the streets, the dwarves at the park are paid well and many say that it changed their lives forever.

Another big pull for dwarfs is to be finally in an environment where they aren’t the odd one out and they have a safe space to be with others like them. One of the performers at the park, Wu Zhihong, 20 said, “Before, when we were at home, we didn’t know anyone our size. When we hang out together with normal-size people, we cannot really do the same things. So I really felt lonely sometimes.” Many of the workers felt isolated in their hometowns where most often they were the only person of short stature they knew. At the park they have a place to meet others they can relate to and reportedly many dwarfs find their first loves at the park.

Some say the park is a human zoo and a place to gawk, but this is not the case. Most of the performers have nowhere else where they can have a stable life with friends similar to them. The performers all say that they wouldn’t be the same if they hadn’t worked at the Kingdom of the Little People.

The park creates a safe space for little people in China to meet friends and get paid a comfortable salary. Without the park little people in China would live as lesser members of society subject to extreme ridicule. Ethics groups that oppose the park need to be shown the effect it has had on performers and how drastically different their lives would be without it. The park must remain open for the sake of the little people all over China.

Works Cited

News, Red Door. “It’s a Small World: The Kingdom of the Little People.” South China Morning Post. South China Morning Post, 17 May 2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.

Lafraniere, Sharon. “A Miniature World Magnifies Dwarf Life.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Mar. 2010. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.

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“Paper or Plastic? How About a Paper ON Plastic!”
Melody Markert, age 17

As my mom opened the box containing our new Amazon Echo, I was not shocked at the sheer amount of packaging that goes into shipping a nine-inch tall cylinder: It was enclosed in plastic, in a box, surrounded by Bubble Wrap, in yet another box. I should be glad that it keeps “Alexa” clean and protected, but I cannot overlook the amount of waste created. I recycled the cardboard, but the plastic? My neighborhood recycling plant only accepts plastic bottles. It does not have the facilities to break down the multilayered packaging economically. Instead, it went to the landfill, adding to the 14.4 million tons of plastic produced each year in America.

Granted, we have made progress over the years. Since 2005, United States companies have already avoided creating 1.5 billion pounds of packaging waste. Even so, reducing the amount of packaging is not enough. We must eliminate it entirely in order to see any large progress.

Zero waste stores have opened all across Europe in order to combat this issue. At Original Unverpackt, in Berlin, Germany, all of their products are out in the open, unobstructed by layers of plastic, paper or metal. Precycling removes trash before it is even created. Shoppers come in with sacks and totes buying local products while making conscious purchases.

Few places generate as much waste as grocery stores. We consistently see produce individually wrapped in plastic. But why is this necessary? For thousands of years, people bought goods fresh and in bulk — free of any sort of packaging. Bulk items are still around now, but their sections are dwarfed by aisles and aisles of unnecessary packaging. These small areas do not dominate stores and therefore have very little influence on our buying habits.

In America, a land full of supermarkets and large companies, it is more difficult to have zero waste and bulk markets because we want security and convenience. We pay for instant gratification rather than quality when we buy packaged food. If we want to reinvent grocery shopping, both the manufacturers and the consumers must take part.

Many large corporations such as Nestlé and WalMart have taken steps toward becoming more environmentally friendly, but lesser-known brands have made the most progress. They have responded to the demands of consumers, eliminating excessive packaging and sourcing from local and organic farms. We need to continue this movement toward zero waste by encouraging consumers to change their way of life and look toward the future of healthy, sustainable living, rather than being content with harming our planet. Bring your own bags. Buy food in bulk. Shop zero-waste. Small changes are all it takes to make a difference that extends far beyond our own homes.

Works Cited

Ball, Aimee Lee. “The Anti-Packaging Movement.” New York Times, 29 Nov. 2016. Accessed 25 Feb. 2017.

“The Facts.” Recyclaholics, 2008. Accessed 5 Mar. 2017.

Johnson, Jim. “Food Industry Cuts Packaging Waste.” Waste & Recycling News, vol. 16, no. 25, 18 Apr. 2011.

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“The Future Disintegration of American Democracy Through Athletics”
Julianne Yu, age 16

In 2012, Allen Independent School District in Texas spent $60 million on a new football stadium, at the time, the most expensive high school stadium ever. In fact, The New York Times reports that it has nearly the same capacity as Madison Square Garden. Now, McKinney Independent School District, adjacent to Allen I.S.D., is building a rival stadium for nearly $70 million. That’s the equivalent of providing school lunch to all of the 24,500 students in McKinney every day for six years.

This is a remarkable misappropriation of money in a state that chronically underfunds education. As of last year, not only did Texas rank 43rd in the nation for education, it ranked 49th in per pupil spending. Nationally, the U.S. spent an average of $11,667 per student whereas Texas fell behind at $7,957 per student. But it’s not only Texas whose obsession with sports is ripping at the seams of our educational system and, consequently, our democracy.

A democracy forming without the proper education is doomed to crumble. Education is the key in arming the electorate with the information necessary to consider candidates, yet superfluous spending toward athletics is hindering the way our society is learning and voting. Paving the path toward a strong democracy, not a sharply divided one, begins and ends with education. Shifting the focus from athletics to academics, from the playing field to the classroom, is the way to uphold our trembling nation. As Richard D. Kahlenberg and Clifford Janey explain, “The Founders saw education as the safeguard of America’s system of self-governance. Educating common people was the answer to the oligarchs who said the average citizen could not be trusted to choose leaders wisely.” But with more than two-thirds of Americans unable to name all three branches of government, I can’t help but ponder: Is this the America that our founders had hoped for?

Defunding sports is absurd. It is just as vital to have an active society as it is to have an educated one. But athletics cannot be the top priority when the U.S. is ranked so low in education. The Pew Research Center reports that the U.S. is currently 38th out of 71 developed and developing countries in math, and 24th in science. We are one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but our school funds are going down the wrong drain. Author Marguerite Roza “found that one high school was spending $328 a student for math instruction and more than four times that much for cheerleading — $1,348 a cheerleader.”

Spend tax money wisely; invest more in education; prioritize academics over athletics. And, who knows? Maybe if we spent $60 million on libraries instead of sports stadiums, students would understand that their society values education. And they would vote accordingly.

Works Cited

Anderson, Lindsey. “Texas Falls to 43 in National Education Ranking.” El Paso Times. 11 Jan. 2016.

DeSilver, Drew. “U.S. Students’ Academic Achievement Still Lags That of Their Peers in Many Other Countries.” Pew Research Center. 15 Feb. 2017.

Gerber, Marisa. “After Texas High School Builds $60-million Stadium, Rival District Plans One for Nearly $70 Million.” Los Angeles Times. 17 Sept. 2016.

“McKinney ISD Meal Prices for the 2016-17 School Year.” McKinney ISD. N.d.

McPhate, Mike. “That’s Right, $63 Million for a Football Stadium ... for High Schoolers.” The New York Times. 11 May 2016.

Richard D. Kahlenberg and Clifford Janey. “Is Trump’s Victory the Jump-Start Civics Education Needed?” The Atlantic. 10 Nov. 2016.

Ripley, Amanda. “The Case Against High-School Sports.” The Atlantic. 19 Feb. 2014.

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“The Case for Teaching News Literacy”
Mary Hannah Grier, age 17

From start to finish, 2016 was a rude wake-up call to the state of news and information, and the influence that a few individuals can have over an entire country’s election. However, it also reaffirmed the power and relevancy that the written word still has in this day and age. A study conducted at Stanford University just after the November 2016 elections found that over 7,800 students in middle school, high school and college in 12 states “were unable to assess the credibility” of information that they encountered on the internet. Now, more than ever, it is critical that we teach students in all schools — public and private, K-12 and college — how to think critically and analyze the news that they come across.

Though terms such as “fake news” have risen to prominence in the past year, the art of deception reaches back to the advent of modern media. Photography especially has long been used to make political statements, “prove” questionable supernatural sightings, and justify cultural appropriation. Today, complex 19th-century equipment and studios have been replaced with Photoshop and a computer. The outcome, however, is still the same: an altered form of truth, or proof of a nonexistent event. Photoshopped images cover the internet, often side-by-side with real ones. How are students with an untrained eye supposed to spot the difference between reality and fiction?

Then there are the articles themselves. Fake news articles are mainly spread through various social media platforms, frequented by teenagers and adults alike. When people see fake news articles — which often have eye-catching or alarming headlines — how are they to judge the validity of these articles without knowing what to look for? Fact-checking sites like Snopes certainly help, but they do not cover every article or statement on the internet. Some claims can only be proven false through critical thinking and by consulting reputable references.

There are many different ways to tackle the rise of fake news, but the most important is teaching people how to think critically about what they encounter on the news and how to recognize whether it is fact or fiction. This can only be accomplished by incorporating news literacy into existing school curriculums — such as government, civics or history classes — rather than having a separate elective or seminar. By the time students reach college, they’re already “too immersed in their own worldviews” to be able to look at news objectively. News literacy classes must be introduced to schools, and it needs to be done as soon as possible. Everyone is affected by fake news, and it is now our civic duty to educate ourselves and others about it.

Works Cited

Barron, James. “In an Era of Fake News, Teaching Students to Parse Fact From Fiction.” The New York Times. 20 Mar. 2017.

Chen, Angus. “Long Before There Was ‘Fake News’, There Were ‘Fake Photos’.” Goats and Soda. NPR, 5 Feb. 2017.

Domonoske, Camila. “Students Have ‘Dismaying’ Inability To Tell Fake News From Real, Study Finds.” The Two-Way. NPR. 23 Nov. 2016.

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“The Unspoken Alphabet Problem”
Stephanie Zhang, age 14

“Lineup in alphabetical order!” my elementary teacher says as we come to a halt; Johnny stops telling his story about the frog he caught last weekend at his grandparents’ house while Carlos jumps off the swings midair, hoping to impress the girls today. We all run back to class, forming a line and departing from our adventures in the land of recess. I’m last in line. Every. Day.

The system of alphabetical order in schools must be changed, as a silent bias toward the names starting with letters near the end of the alphabet is causing detrimental effects to our children’s psychology due to the subconscious implications of inferiority.

As someone with the last name “Zhang,” I still remember the rush of excitement I felt when my teacher read the roll sheet from the bottom to the top — only on special occasions, of course. I remember the condolences the teacher would give, telling me “last but not least!” But I still felt least. This display of alphabetical inequality not only continually provides an unfair disadvantage and feeling of inferiority to the same group of people; it also affects our decisions made later in life.

In the New York Times article “How Inequality Hollows Out the Soul” by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, it discusses how social inequality allows us to “not only [see] what we knew intuitively — that inequality is divisive and socially corrosive — but that it also damages the individual psyche.” If inequality in wealth damages people, why wouldn’t inequality in school cause damage as well?

In a recent four-series scientific study in the Journal of Consumer Research conducted by Kurt A. Carlson, assistant professor at Georgetown, and Jacqueline M. Conard, assistant professor at Belmont University, the professors found that those who had last names later in the alphabet reacted quicker to special sale opportunities when offered deals simultaneously.

“We find that the later in the alphabet the first letter of one’s childhood surname is, the faster the person acquires items as an adult. We dub this the last name effect ... it stems from childhood ordering structures that put children with different names in different positions in lines ... since those late in the alphabet are typically at the end of lines, they compensate by responding quickly to acquisition opportunities,” Professor Carlson says.

Alphabetical order is fine for files in cabinets or books in a library or for naming hurricanes. It is not appropriate for organizing people. “There may be no great alternatives to alphabetical order,” says Professor Carlson. “But flip it around every now and then. That’s a reasonable way to balance things out.”

Works Cited

Gregory, Sean. “How Your Name May Cost You at the Mall.” Time, 28 Jan. 2011.

Wilkinson, Richard and Kate Pickett. “How Inequality Hollows Out the Soul.” The New York Times, 2 Feb. 2014.

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“The ‘War on Drugs’ Will Never Work; Legalization Will”
Kristina Vakhman, age 18

Since President Richard Nixon first waged a “war on drugs” in 1971, the United States has resorted to prohibition, believing that aggressive drug bans will reduce and prevent drug-related crime, addiction, incarceration, death and disease. Yet, the opposite has occurred.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, 46.3 percent of inmates are currently imprisoned on drug offenses. The National Institute on Drug Abuse approximates that more than 50,000 individuals died from drug overdoses in 2015 alone, and states that diseases like hepatitis and H.I.V. continue to rage, spreading through unhygienic methods like unsterilized needles.

Considering these failed results, the federal government should look to an alternative approach to combating drug use.

That alternative is the decriminalization and legalization of all illicit drugs. This may seem like a disastrous choice; however, in Portugal, it’s worked.

In 2001, Portugal’s government decriminalized and legalized all drugs, no matter their severity, in response to a growing heroin problem. Instead of a criminal offense, those caught with less than a 10-day supply of hard drugs are taken before a special court of legal experts, psychologists and social workers. In place of jail time, a small fine or community service, as well as treatment, is provided.

Today, Portugal has one of the lowest drug-usage rates in all of Europe. The British Journal of Criminology found a significant reduction in the imprisonment of alleged drug dealers, from 14,000 in 2000 to 5,000 in 2010, and in the imprisonment of addicts, which fell from 41 percent in 1999 to 21 percent in 2008. The Washington Post reported that “there are three drug overdose deaths for every 1,000,000 citizens” in Portugal; as a comparison, “44.6 per million” die in the United Kingdom. Drug-related diseases, like H.I.V., have decreased, “while the dramatic rise in use feared by some has failed to materialize,” as stated by the Transform Drug Policy Institute.

By focusing on treatment rather than punishment, Portugal has given its citizens the opportunity to rehabilitate and contribute as functioning members of society. Consequently, the demand for drugs falls as the number of users declines.

In the U.S., certain states are moving toward reformation instead of incarceration. The New York Times reported Mayor Bill de Blasio’s efforts to combat the wild opioid epidemic in New York City: “$38 million a year” will go to programs like “expanded methadone and buprenorphine treatment for addicts” and “a focus at city hospitals on dealing with addiction and overdoses.”

That is what the U.S. needs. The current system is a complete failure; the “war on drugs” concept is ridiculously ineffective. It’s time to look for an alternative model; Portugal has proved that its model works.

Works Cited

“A Brief History of the Drug War.” Drug Policy Alliance.

“Drug Decriminalization in Portugal: Setting the Record Straight.” Transform: Getting Drugs Under Control. 11 June. 2014.

Goodman, J. David and Ashley Southall. “As Drug Deaths Soar, Mayor Offers Plan to Cut Toll.” The New York Times. 13 March. 2017.

Ingraham, Christopher. “Why Hardly Anyone Dies From a Drug Overdose in Portugal.” The Washington Post. 05 June. 2015.

“Inmate Statistics: Offenses.” Federal Bureau of Prisons.

“Inside a Killer Drug Epidemic: A Look at America’s Opioid Crisis.” The New York Times. 06 Jan. 2017.

“New Study Shows Portugal’s Decriminalization of All Drugs Was Followed by Reductions in Student Drug Use, Prison Overcrowding, Drug Related Deaths and HIV/ AIDS.” Drug Policy Alliance.

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“There Is No Happily Ever After Without Once Upon a Time”
Bridget O’Leary, age 17

It is no secret that Hollywood is dominated by cisgender, heterosexual, conventionally attractive white people. Members of minority groups struggle to find accurate representation in films, clinging tightly to even the smallest examples of representation. This lack of diversity is particularly damaging to young children, whose perception of the world is warped to fit a narrative where only a certain type of person gets to have a happily ever after.

In 2015, only 22 out of 126 released films featured a character that was part of the L.G.B.T.Q.+ community. Some people argue that because there are more cis-heterosexuals in real life, there should be more cis-heterosexuals in films. By this logic, the number of cis-heterosexual characters in individual films should exceed L.G.B.T.Q. characters. The lack of L.G.B.T.Q.+ characters in over 100 films creates entire universes where L.G.B.T.Q.+ people are seemingly nonexistent, a statistic that does not mirror reality in the slightest.

Children especially need to see L.G.B.T.Q.+ characters, and yet their demographic is the one that is most denied access to films with accurate representation. Unfortunately, many people consider same-sex relationships to be too mature for children. Because of this, impressionable young people are prevented from watching films that could help them to better understand themselves and to accept the people around them.

This also prevents L.G.B.T.Q.+ people and relationships from becoming normalized. If children are not exposed to the L.G.B.T.Q.+ community until later on in life, they will learn to treat it as something new and different as adults. By showing them films with diverse casts of characters, children will recognize that L.G.B.T.Q.+ people are a part of everyday life and that they “have a right to ... their happily ever after, too.” Normalizing L.G.B.T.Q.+ identities will also normalize their inclusion in films and other media outlets, because the people making those films will be so used to a world of L.G.B.T.Q.+ people that to not include them would be unthinkable.

Film companies argue that parents would not allow their children to see films with L.G.B.T.Q.+ characters in them, making diversity and inclusivity bad for business. Though there are certainly people who would boycott films on this basis, there are also many parents who would be thrilled to see their children introduced to that kind of diversity at such a young age. Many L.G.B.T.Q.+ adults would watch the films as well, because they want to experience the representation they were denied as a child.

Representation in any type of media is important, but L.G.B.T.Q.+ visibility in children’s films is of particular significance. It represents another step on the long road to equality and a shift in the mind-set of an entire generation.

Works Cited

Bahr, Lindsey. “Are ‘Gay Moments’ in ‘Beauty’ and ‘Power Rangers’ Progress?” Associated Press. 24 Mar 2017. Web.

“LGBT Community Faces ‘Invisible’ Hollywood Summer Movie Season.” The New York Times. 25 May 2017. Web.

“Overview of Findings.” GLAAD. 02 May 2016.

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“When Will This Class Be Useful?”
Casey Stark, age 15

The angles of a triangle add up to 180 degrees. Igneous rock melts into magma. And I’m sure by now many high schoolers know that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of a cell. Having knowledge in a variety of subjects gives students information that could be useful in their futures depending on what they do with their lives. But what about classes that teach skills that will be useful to everyone, regardless of their life paths? Being a high school student myself, I do not believe I currently know enough about how to manage money. If more personal finance classes were available in schools, students would be more prepared for their futures.

Financial education is not a requirement in every U.S. state, and students are missing out on useful information because of this. Only 17 states “require high school students to take a course in personal finance … the same number as in 2014.” The United States is also behind other countries in regard to financial education. A 2012 international survey reported, “more than 1 in 6 students in the United States failed to reach the baseline level of proficiency in financial literacy.” This same large study showed that American students are just behind Latvia and just ahead of Russia in financial knowledge, at the center of the countries assessed. Using money is something people do in their everyday lives, so being in the dark about financial skills leaves room for instability.

When high school students take finance classes, they are more responsible with their finances. It has been shown that “high school students who are required to take personal finance courses have better average credit scores and lower debt delinquency rates as young adults.” In the New York Times article, “Making Your Family Better at Personal Finance,” Paul Brown says after his daughter took a personal finance course, she was “far better with money than her equally smart brothers.” A parent’s advice alone is often not enough to foster sensible financial habits in young people — being in a classroom allows students to process information and make meaningful connections to their own lives.

While my school district requires I take a personal finance class in high school, many schools throughout the world do not. Young students everywhere should have ways to learn about how to survive and succeed in their lives, and learning about the economy is one way to do that. Yes, learning about the cycle of how rocks melt into magma can be interesting, but learning how to create and manage a budget, use and manage a credit card, and pay off a mortgage can make a lasting positive influence on one’s life.

Works Cited

Brown, Paul B. “Making Your Family Better at Personal Finance.” The New York Times, 13 January 2017. Accessed 2 March 2017.

Schwartz, Shelly. “US Schools Get Failing Grade For Financial Literacy Education.” cnbc.com, 28 Jan. 2016. Accessed 2 March 2017.

“Survey Of The States.” Council For Economic Education, February 2016. Accessed 3 March 2017.